The present invention relates to a video device having an electronic program guide decoder, capable of reproducing or recording and reproducing a video signal.
A video tape recorder (VTR) conventionally known is capable of reproducing video signals and audio signals recorded on a magnetic tape to display video on a television set. Also, some VTRs have also recording a and reproducing functions capable of recording video signals and audio signals on a magnetic tape.
In addition, there is known a video device for recording and reproducing video signals and audio signals in addition to VTR.
In such a video device, antenna receiving signals received by an antenna are generally inputted, and a desired channel can be selected from among these antenna receiving signals for reception. The receiving signals are transmitted to a television set, or are demodulated and used for recording.
The user selects a desired channel program from among channel programs broadcast to view through television or record in a video device, but at this time, the program is generally selected while seeing a program table.
When, however, there are as many channels broadcast as 150 channels, it is not easy to search a program table, on which programs for, for example, 150 channels are printed, for a desired program.
Thus, in order to enable a desired program to be easily searched for, data of a program table for each channel is inserted in a vertical blanking interval for video signal for a specified channel for transmission not to cause any obstruction to the television signals. The program table transmitted is caused to be displayed on a television set, whereby the user searches for the channel while seeing the television screen to select his desired channel program.
This program table data is called an electronic program guide, and the electronic program guide can be divided into each kind of programs such as sports, news, and movies, to be displayed on the screen. Also, it is arranged that a program can be selected from the displayed screen of this electronic program guide for reception, and that videotape reservation for the program can be made.
FIG. 6B shows an example of the program guide screen of the electronic program guide displayed on the television set. Its first step column shows the title of the program guide screen, and is displayed as "Program Guide". The second step column shows month and day, and the month and day of SEP 7 and two grids showing time of 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm are shown. In columns of the third step and subsequent steps, a channel is shown at the left end, and the names of the programs to be broadcast on the month and day, displayed on the second step, and at the time indicated by the grids are displayed correspondingly to this channel on the right side. It is indicated that in, for example, Channel CSP2, NEWS1 is broadcast for 1 hour from 8:00 pm, and NEWS2 is broadcast from 9:00 pm. Also, it is indicated that in Channel 26, a program of Famous American is broadcast for two hours from 8:00 pm.
FIG. 6A is a block diagram showing the structure of a VTR having a function of receiving such an electronic program guide for decoding.
In the VTR shown in FIG. 6A, a television broadcast signal received by an antenna 101 is inputted in a tuner circuit 111. A video signal of a channel selected from the tuner circuit 111 by the user is inputted in a videotape unit (not shown), and is inputted to a microcomputer device (.mu.con) 113. The .mu.con 113 has a slice/decode circuit 113-1, and a video signal from the tuner circuit 111 is inputted to the slice/decode circuit 113-1 of .mu.con 113.
A remote control signal received by an infrared light reception unit 114 is inputted to the .mu.con 113, which controls in various ways in response to the remote control signal. In this respect, the infrared light, which transmits the remote control signal, is transmitted from a remote control transmitter 102 when the user operates the key of the remote control transmitting device 102.
Further, a video signal reproduced by a play block 112 is inputted to one input of a first switch SW1, while a video signal from the tuner 111 is inputted to the other input of the first switch SW1, and the first switch SW1 selects either of inputted signals for outputting, and inputs the selected signal to an OSD (On Screen Display) control unit 116.
When there is an electronic program guide display instruction, the OSD control unit 116 is adapted to receive an electronic program guide data decoded from .mu.con 113, and to on-screen display the electronic program guide. Also, a signal outputted from the OSD control unit 116 is inputted to an RF modulator 117, which modulates the carrier of a channel selected in advance. A channel signal modulated to be outputted from the RF modulator 117 is inputted to the VTR side, one input of the second switch SW2. On the other TV input side of the second switch SW2, a receiving signal from an antenna 101 is inputted. An output selected by the second switch SW2 is supplied to a television (TV) set 121.
In this respect, .mu.con 113 is a microcomputer, which mainly controls an electronic program guide inserted in a video signal received, and fetches the electronic program guide data inserted in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the received video signal for a channel selected by the tuner circuit 111 to accumulate in a memory (SRAM) 115 after decoding. In this case, a slice/decode circuit 113-1 conducts waveform shaping of the electronic program guide data, and after the waveform shaping, decodes the electronic program guide data.
Although this electronic program guide data is inserted in the vertical blanking interval (VBI) for video signal, the electronic program guide data is determined to be, for example, data for seven days, and a memory 115 has such a memory capacity as to accumulate about 70 channels of electronic program guide data for seven days.
In a VTR constructed as described above, when the second switch SW2 is switched to the TV side to select the receiving signal from the antenna 101, the receiving signal from the antenna 101 is supplied to the television set 121 to display the video of a channel selected by the tuner of the television set 121. Also, when a reproducing start instruction is given to the VTR and a play block 112 starts reproducing, the first switch SW1 and the second switch SW2 are automatically switched so that the reproducing output from the play block 112 passes through the first switch SW1, and the OSD control unit 116, and is inputted to the RF modulator 117. Thus, the signal of a channel outputted from the RF modulator 117 is inputted to the television set 121 through the second switch SW2 switched to the VTR side. At this time, the television set 121 is adapted to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator 117 and to display the reproducing output.
In this case, when a reproducing stop instruction is given, the play block 112 stops the reproducing operation, and the first switch SW1 is switched so that a channel selected by the tuner 111 within the VTR is inputted to the RF modulator 117 through the first switch SW1 and the OSD control unit 116. The signal of the channel outputted from the RF modulator 117 is inputted to the television set 121 through the second switch SW2. At this time, the television set 121 is adapted to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator 117, and to display the channel selected by the tuner 111 within the VTR.
The above-described reproducing start instruction, reproducing stop instruction or the like can be given to the VTR by operating the key of the remote control transmitter 102. Information of a channel selected by the tuner 111 of the VTR, a counter value and videotape reservation information of the VTR, and the like are given to the OSD control unit 116 by .mu.con 113 so that they can be on-screen displayed on the television set 121 by the OSD control unit 116 when there is a display instruction for them.
When it is desired to on-screen display the electronic program guide on the television set 121, the key or the like of the remote control transmitter 102 is operated to give an electronic program guide display instruction. This display instruction is received by the infrared light reception unit 114 to input the received signal to .mu.con 113. On receipt thereof, the .mu.con 113 decodes the electronic program guide data from the video signal selected by the tuner 111 to supply it to the OSD control unit 116. Thus, the OSD control unit 116 transmits the electronic program guide data to the RP modulator 117 to on-screen display it. Then, the signal of the channel modulated by the electronic program data in the RF modulator 117 is inputted to the television set 121 through the second switch SW2. At this time, the television set 121 is adapted to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator 117, and to on-screen-display the electronic program guide.
As described above, although the second switch SW2 is automatically switched to the VTR side when the VTR starts to play back, there is generally mostly a case where it is switched to the TV side at all times except it, and the video selected by the tuner provided for the television set is displayed.
The VTR has such problem that, if the second switch SW2 is switched to the TV side when it is desired to display the electronic program guide or when a message display request internally occurs, the electronic program guide or message cannot be displayed on the television set.,
In addition, it has also such problem that if the tuner in the television set is not set to select a channel outputted from the RF modulator within the VTR even if it has been switched to the VTR side, the electronic program guide or message cannot be displayed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a video device capable of on-screen displaying the electronic program guide on a television set connected to the video device without taking into consideration the state of switching means for switching between the antenna receiving output side and the internally generated signal output side.